中弹 (zhòng dàn) — to be shot, to be hit by a bullet

Definition

Verb (note zhòng, not zhōng) meaning 'to be hit by a bullet / shot' — used for people, usually in combat, police, or accident contexts.

verb

to be shotto be hit by a bullet

中弹。
Tā zài zhàn dòu zhōng zhòng dàn le.
He was shot in battle.
，。
Nà míng shì bīng zhōng le yì tán, dàn xìng yùn dì huó le xià lái.
That soldier was hit by a bullet but luckily survived.
，。
Jǐng chá zài zhuī bǔ zhōng zhōng guò liǎng dàn, réng rán jiān chí wán chéng rèn wu.
The police officer was hit by two bullets during the pursuit but still insisted on completing the mission.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

中 means hit, and 弹 means bullet, so it describes being hit by a bullet.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The original picture showed a flagpole with a drum in the middle, set up in the center of a field.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 彈; 弹 is its simplified writing.

弓單彈

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

單

單dān彈tán

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 彈 pairs 弓 (bow) with the sound part 單; the simplified 弹 is a shorthand.

Appears in